Crash
by LowBrass51116
Summary: Two girls go skiing. One gets lost. Will the best friends find each other? One-shot. Review please!


"Now!" I yelled, indicating to jump off the ski lift and ski down the little slope to my pupil. "Good job, Claire! You're doing great for a second day-er." I congradulate her and mean it. Claire smiles to me, pridefully.  
"Now we can either ski 'The Marshmellow' or a easy blue trail." I give her options. As the contemplation on Claire's face increase, I decide to give my opinion. "The Marshmellow is a pretty easy green, beginner. The other choice is an easy blue, it'll be more difficult than green, but fairly easy stuff.  
I know she trusts my say so I encourage her to challenge herself; she agrees to do the harder trail. Good for her.  
"We just need to get on lift number three, which is right over there." I instruct, pointing across the path to the lift. Slowly and steadily, we inch our way across the path to the lift. There isn't really a line so we basically walk right on.  
"Ready?" I ask. "Yeah." Is Claire's focused answer. "Now!" I time so we both jump up and allow us to be scooped up by the chair behind us.  
The ride is fairly long, but we just look at the mountain, taking in the beauty of it.  
Miraculously, we both end up off the ski lift upright. "Great job." I congradulate. "Thanks." She smiles, proud of herself; good.  
We scoot over to the start of the trail. "You ready?" I wait for her confirmation. I look to the little of her face I can see, the skin that isn't covered and is probably numb. She looks doubtful. "You can do it, Claire. It's not that bad. I'll be with you the whole time." I assure her. "Okay, but if you get away from me, I'm stopping." She threatens. "Just stay left." I tell her. "On three." I prep, "One... Two... THREE!" And we push off.  
We start of easy. Claire is basically wedging entirely, but I have more control. "Its okay, you have control. You got this." I encourge. She must want to empress me, cause she firms her stance and becomes more agile. "Great! That's great!" I tell her. She smiles. "Let's go faster." I push. She nods, accepting.  
Our skiis slide smoothly over the soft snow. The turns require us to slow ourselves, but aren't very difficult. "You're doing fantastic!" I raise my voice over the wind so it'll reach Claire. As we go down hill more and more, the more we accelerate. We are actually going quite fast.  
Suddenly, I sneak another look to my left. But Claire isn't there. I am so startled that I immediately stop, but not well enough. I flip a couple times and land on the edge of the trail. Dazed, but concious-though keeping my eyes closed, I move all my limbs. They feel in-tact. Nothing feels broken or twisted. I sit up to see my feet, which have become un-attached from both my skiis. Great. I stand, looking around for skiis, they're down the mountain, out of the way. I side-step a few times up the mountain to retrace my steps, struggling with the bulk and weight of the boot, before I realize why I crashed. Claire.  
I frantically turn around, searching for her, but slipping in the process. I don't fall far and just stand again. "Claire! Claire?!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Where is she? Where could she be?  
It's starting to get dark. The snow is coming down, and the clouds cover the once-partly sunny sky. I push up my watch, thankful that we still have a while before night. I have to find her. I have to find Claire.  
"Claire?! CLAIRE!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I side-step up the mountain, looking for the place Claire and I got split up in the snow. A few minutes later, I'm pretty sure I find the tracks. One set of tracks go down and spirals, that's mine, but the other-it turns. Into the woods.  
"Claire?" I call in the trail's general direction, "Claire, you in there?" I listen. There is no other sound. No skiiers or kids giggling or adults calling to eachother. Just wind blowing and trees rustling.  
Out of the air, I hear... something. What is that? Some one coming down here? Someone down the mountain? The ski lift? I listen harder.  
A faint "help" is what I make out. Claire! Through my goggles, I look in the direction of the small voice. Wayyyy, in the very back of my vision, I see a small hand waving between the trees.  
I rush towards her, leaving my skiis down the mountain, not caring to stop the tree branches from hitting my face and cutting it. It's numb anyways.  
I push myself closer to her. But it takes me a full fifteen minutes to get to her, through the snow and tree stumps and branches. But finally, I reach her.  
I fall on my knees beside the small, bundled, girl. "Claire." I wrap my arms around her, "That was a close call. How'd you get way back here?" I ask, trying to calm out nerves. She only looks back up at me. Under her goggles, I see her eyebrows scrunch together and her eyes squint, like she's trying not to cry. "Shhhh," I try to calm her, "Its okay. I'm going to help you up, and we'll find our skiis and slide down the mountain and we'll make our way to the ski lodge and have a warm cup of hot chocolate, sound good?" I try to cheer her up. She doesn't respond, only presses her lips together in a tight line. Oh my lord, she's hurt. "Where?" I ask frantically, "What's hurt?" Claire's answer is labored and strained, "My right wrist. But mostly my stomach and leg, the left one." She forces. "Lemme see." I command.  
Her attire is similar to mine; a thermal waterproof jacket, ski pants, a tobogan hat, two pairs of long socks, a full set of under armor, a scarf, and ski goggles. She should be warm, which is helpful.  
Claire unclutches her stomach enough for me to peak. I position myself down wind so no snow gets in her jacket. I untuck her jacket then under armor from her ski pants. Claire has a huge red scrape across her abdomin, along with major brusing. It's moments like this when I'm glad I'm majoring in medical science and biology and training to be a nurse. It allows me to gather that Claire probably has some internal bleeding, which can be deadly. Luckily, it doesn't look that bad. I tuck in her clothing before checking on her leg.  
"Claire, honey, this'll be cold." I say. She just nods in confirmation. I scoot down to her leg and unzip her ski pants, then slide them up. Crap, I can see blood through her under armor. I roll those up, and see a bloody mess. I quickly remove the scarf from my neck and wrap where the blood seems to be coming from-the knee area. She probably spraigned it and doesn't even know it, then her bone cut it trying to move or something. I need to clot the blood, so I wrap it tight. But I'm no paramedic, I can't help her much. I need to get Claire to help; to safety.  
I return to Claire's head after wrapping her leg and returning her snow clothes to it's mostly original state. "Claire," I beackon her out of her trans, "I need to move you. You need help for your tummy and knee." I explain. She squeezes her eyes shut as she nods. "Im going to have to move you. It's gonna hurt real badly, but I'll keep talking to you. Don't worry, you're gonna be okay." I assure her.  
I'm weak. I've been skiing all day, I'm exhausted. It took me fifteen minutes to walk through from the trail earlier, it's gonna take me forever to go with her. But I'll do it.  
I pick the girl, who's three years my junior, under the knees, which I know pains her at first but eases, and under her arms. I stand, adjusting to her weight, which is suprisingly less than expected.  
Slowly but steadily, I truge through the thick forest, trying to shelter Claire from the wind and wilderness.  
About halfway to the clearing, I slow down. But I keep pushing myself. Push. Push. Push. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. Breathe. Breathe. I'm barely moving. I decide a break is in order. I set Claire down to check on her. Her gloves are ripped from the fall. I take mine off and give her mine. I take off my hat and put it over her face. I make sure she can breathe. It'll fog up her goggles, but her face ll' be warm. My ponytail is already soaking wet. But I can do it. It's up to me to save Claire.  
And with this new-found objective, I pick Claire back up and begin trucking forward once again. Faster, Brooks, Faster. She is getting sicker by the moment. She could DIE. This vulnerable, sweet little girl, who trusted that you'd being her back alive,'s life is in your hands, Brooks. You gotta save her. You gotta.  
Finally, I am at the end of the tree line, i'm five feet from the trail. But I fall. I am careful not to land on her. I cover the small freshman with my own body. I gotta keep her warm. "Help!" I cry, hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone will be there to hear, "Help me, please!" I feel faint, drowzy. Oh gosh, I've failed Claire. She trusted me and I let her down. And now we'll both die five feet from the trail in a blizzard in the middle of January. Alone.  
Suddenly, a bright orange light appears. Orange, Claire's favorite color. Wait, a light. A person! We might actually live. This is enough hope to give me energy. Still leaning over Claire, protecting her, I call out, flailling my arms. "Help!" I call, "Please, help me!" The orange light freezes for a moment in suspecion. I need to keep yelling. "Help! Over here! I need help! My friend, she's hurt! We need help!" I frantically cry.  
The orange light sweeps the area I'm in before it locates me, still a distance away.  
Suddenly, the light multiplies. What was one light, is now eight or nine. They all pinpoint Claire and I's location. "Claire, they're coming for us! They found us! We're saved!" I tell her. A very slight smile graces her now snow-white pail features.  
A moment later, the lights are here. They are people, with technology. They have blankets which they immediatly wrap around me. I instantly take it off and wrap it around Claire. Another cloth is placed around my shoulders, more stubborn to stay-this time. I let it stay.  
Seeing the easiest way this can go, the men come and slide Claire on a stretcher. "Can you tell me your names?" An officer asks, as I try to look around him to see what they are doing. "Im Brooks Robinson. That's Claire Davenport." I say, then add, "Please don't seperate me from her." I plead. He nods. The man pulls a radio from his belt and lifts it to his mouth. "We found them." Is all he says, his stotic face turning into that of a smile. "Good job"s and "Congradulation"s are heard through the walkie as he returns it to it's place. "We've been looking for you two for quite some time, now." He smiles warmly. My heart swells, relief that we'll live, just now settling in and being accepted. I'm so overjoyed that I hug the officer. He embraces right back, rubbing my back to try to generate heat.  
"Get on the back." The officer commands, returning to his former-solumn-state, yet subtley smiling of the contact. I attempt to walk to it by myself, but almost fall. He catches me and leads me to the back of the snow-sled.  
After we sit, the driver begins down the mountain at a moderate speed. We don't pass anyone after we left the team of rescuers at the sight we were just found at. I realize it's dark now. Really dark. How long where we gone? So I ask the man to my side. "About 8 hours." He informs me. "No way. We weren't gone that long. We checked in and taught Claire for an hour before coming up here. Couldn't have been more than three." I reason. "Yeah, you checked in. But then you two missed the final check in, the check in to go back to the place you're staying. Your leader, Bartley, waited an hour before sending everyone else home and calling us. We checked the lower mountains first, your leader said the young girl was a new skiier, but no trace. Then we started combing through this mountain. We saw one of your skiis and tried to follow your tracks, but too much snow had covered. Then we heard you yell out, and spotted you." The man informs. "I'm so sorry officer," I feel guilty, "I thought she was ready. My mistake nearly cost both of us our lives. I don't know what happened. She was great one moment, then gone the next." I explain. "It was a bolt." the officer concludes. "Im sorry?" I ask, I don't understand. "In the girl's ski, the back bolt was off. She lost control cause her foot just slid around. It's a miracle nothing worse happened to her. She's very lucky to have had you." He compliments. I mumble a thanks. "Her knee is torn, ligament and skin, at least. She has some internal bleeding, though I don't know from exactly what. Her right wrist is spraigned." I inform him. The officer looks at me incredulously. "Im studying to be a nurse." I explain. He nods.  
By now, we are at the bottom of the mountain. It's empty. I've never seen it so empty, not in the previously three years I've been here. "We're taking you to the hospital. That's where you'll be examened and treated and where your youth leader will be." The officer attempts to lead me to the truck. With the little strength I have, I stop him. "I won't leave her." I state stubbornly. "Please, Brooks. We need to get her help. You will see her at the hospital. She is in good hands." He reasons. "Promise?" I ask. "Promise." the officer confirms.  
I watch them load Claire into the truck and wisk her away as my officer is still attempting to get me in the ambulance van. "I don't need to get checked out. I'm fine." I deem. "You lost five hours, somewhere. You've probably got a concussion." He pleads. "No." I refuse. "Brooks, the doctors need to make sure you're okay. Do it for Claire?What if you aren't okay, you need to be helped so you can help Claire." The officer conives. He's right, and I hate him for it. I narrow my eyes, but he laughs-knowing he won. "Besides," He adds, "They have to know exactly what happened for them to cover your bills and charges." The man adds. I'm confused, 'They'? "SkiPlace. They are reemburcing you completely." The officer explains. Good.  
The officer lays me on the ambulance stretcher as i compliantly move along with him, suprisingly unresistant. The cot is so... soft. And welcoming. I'm so tired. Maybe, if I just, closed my eyes... for, like... five minutesss.  
Realizing I fell asleep, I sit up suddenly-gasping. The first thing I see is Claire across of the room from me. The nurses are smart, they knew I'd get up and find her if she wasn't in here with me.  
As I'm looking around, analyzing the setting, a doctor strolls in-reading her charts. "Oh, you're up." She says once she looks up from her files. "When can we leave?" Is my first question. "Claire will need to be held over night. You as well." The doctor condemns. "Why?" I ask, not seeing the point. Then I figure out why. "What is wrong with us?" I ask. "You are both stable. You bounced back quicker than expected, is all." The doctor answers. "What do you mean? I bounced back from what?" I question. "Well, we had to reset a couple ribs. And your concussion was pretty bad. I didn't expect for you to be this aware at first." She explains. "I didn't have a concussion." I correct her. "Yes, you did, actually. We preformed a couple scans, and they look okay. It's probably what caused you time lap. You were unconcious." The doctor tells me. It hits me like a slap in the face. But I suppose it makes sense.  
"What about Claire?" I ask suddenly. "Shes pretty good. She's a fighter, too. We had to go in an suck and stitch to fix up some of that internal bleeding. Then we cleaned up her knee. Only needed seven stitches. You really helped us help her a lot. Thanks." She recognizes my efforts. I smirk, secretly happy I helped Claire. "Just doin' my job." I keep my cool.  
Now that I'm sure she's okay, I can focus on myself a bit more. "Why do I feel like crap?" I ask her. "Well, you did have three broken ribs, a cut on your head that required three stitches, and a broken wrist, as well as almost caught hypothermia." She infroms me. My jaw drops. "No way, I didn't feel any of that earlier." I tell her. "Adrenaline." She sums up, then directs, "Try to sit still." I sigh. I had three broken ribs and didn't even know it. Good job, Brooks.  
Then, Bart, our youth minister, makes an appearence. The doctor leaves us alone. "How ya feelin', Brooks?" Bart asks. "Peachy." I grown. He laughs. He knows I'm one for sarcasm. "Youre that little girl's hero, ya know." Bart reminds me. I just shrug. "You saved her, Brooks. Good job." He congradualtes. I don't feel as though I did enough.


End file.
